Archive for Health Issues

After weight loss surgery, you will need a new nutrition plan. Discuss this in detail with your surgeon and/or dietitian as they can help you learn about and get used to the changes in lifestyle and eating habits you need to make.

It is very important to follow the eating and drinking instructions starting right after the operation to allow the new stomach structure to heal completely and in the right position. This may take a month or more. It is also important, especially in the early weeks, not to stretch the small stomach pouch above the band. Vomiting can stretch it, so it is important not to vomit. Vomiting can increase the chance of stomach tissue slipping through the band.

The First Few Days Post-Surgery
Right after the operation you can take an occasional sip of water or suck on an ice cube. You shouldn’t drink more than this. The day after the operation, you can take a little more fluid but only a small amount at a time. Besides water, you should also choose clear liquids that have an adequate number of calories. To prevent nausea and vomiting, do not drink too much.

Liquid Diet (1-2 weeks post-op)
The goal during this early post-operative period is to protect the small stomach pouch. Only thin liquids can be tolerated at this time. It is also important to keep hydrated with lots of water. Other liquids recommended during this phase include:

clear broth or soup (with no vegetables or meat and not creamy)

skim milk

fruit juice

no-sugar-added popsicles

Pureed Foods (3-4 weeks post-op)
During this phase you may start having slightly textured foods. Aim for the consistency of baby foods. This will help you transition to more solid foods later. Because protein is so important to help you maintain muscle while you are losing weight, eat protein-rich foods first, and then move on to fruits and vegetables. Foods in this stage may include:

pureed skinless chicken or fish

mashed potatoes

peas

low-fat yogurt or pudding

In the first few weeks you may be able to eat foods that might not be allowed in your diet later as these foods may contain too many calories. It is more important in the first few weeks to let your stomach adjust to the LAP-BAND ® System than it is to lose weight. Also, your timing and progression into each dietary phase may vary. In general, you should follow the advice of your surgeon and/or dietitian about nutrition.

Soft Foods (5 weeks post-op)
Your meals can now include tender cooked foods like fish and ground turkey. Now that you can chew, make it a habit to chew foods well. If you have dentures, be sure to cut your food into small pieces and chew it thoroughly. If you don’t follow these precautions, you may experience vomiting, stomach irritation and swelling. You could also have stoma obstruction.

If solid foods cause nausea and vomiting,go back to the liquid diet you had earlier. Then you can slowly add soft foods and eventually transition to solid foods. Always ask for advice from your doctor or dietitian that is specific to your situation. Vomiting may increase the incidence of band slippage, stomach slippage, or stretching of the small stomach pouch above the band.

Your New Nutrition Plan
When you can eat solid foods without problems you will need to pay close attention to your diet. Liquids will pass through the reduced stomach pouch quickly and will not make you feel full. The LAP-BAND ® System was designed to restrict solids, not liquids. Drinking liquids during or immediately after meals tends to flush food through the pouch and you will not get the prolonged feeling of satiety needed to help you eat less.

Staying hydrated throughout the day is important. Drink at least 6-8 cups of water per day and make sure you consume them between meals.

Many patients have a difficult time with solid foods during the morning hours. If this is the case for you, you can open up your LAP-BAND ® System by starting with a couple of glasses of liquids before your first meal.

Too much food or big chunks of food can block the stomach pouch outlet. You can avoid this problem by chewing food welland eating small bits at a time. It is important to remember that your new stoma opening is approximately the size of a dime. Chew your food adequately so that it can easily fit through the opening.

Eat only three small meals a day and make sure that these meals contain adequate nutrients. Your stomach can only hold about1/4 cup of food or 2 oz. at a time. Stop eating when your hunger is gone or when you feel comfortable.

You may find that the small stomach pouch makes digestion of high-fiber, high-fat and dry foods more difficult. Tolerance will vary from person to person. Ask your surgeon and/or dietitian about your food choices. The general guide below can help you create good and healthy meals that contain adequate nutrients but little sugar and fat.

Good Food Choices

1. Fruits and vegetables

1 to 2 servings of fresh fruit daily

2 to 3 servings of fresh vegetables daily

2. Breads and cereals

1 small portion of low-sugar cold or hot cereal

1/2 to 1 slice of toasted whole wheat or rye bread each day.

Note: some patients have difficulty eating bread.

3. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs
1 oz. to 2 oz. of meat, fish, or poultry or one egg each day. (Remove all visible fat from the meat. Remove the skin from poultry. Prepare the meat in ways that need very little fat. Grilling, steaming, microwaving, or boiling are all good ways to do this.) Note: some patients have difficulty eating meat.

4. Dairy products
Milk and yogurt are calories in liquid form. However, these types of food have calcium, which makes them an important part of a healthy daily diet, so choose a maximum of 2 cups of skimmed milk or low-fat yogurt and 1 oz. of cheese a day.

5. Fats
Restrict the use of fat to 3 to 4 teaspoons of margarine, butter, or oil per day. You can have low-fat salad dressings and mayonnaise in moderation.

6. Drinks
Drink as many calorie-free liquids per day as you wish (though not with meals).Suitable drinks are:

tea or coffee (black) with low-calorie sweetener

water

non-carbonated beverages containing few or no calories

Some doctors have reported that carbonated beverages may contribute to enlargement of the small pouch and recommend they be avoided.

Foods to Avoid
Some foods have a concentrated supply of calories with little nutritional value and should be avoided as much as possible. They include foods such as:

syrups

cakes

biscuits

jam

honey

pies

chips

pastries

Alcoholic drinks should also be consumed in moderation, for example a glass of wine per day.

Common Problem Foods
Some foods have difficulty passing through the opening of the stoma and may cause blockage. These include foods such as:

dry meat

shrimp

untoasted or doughy bread

pasta

rice

peanut butter

dried fruit

fibrous vegetables like corn,asparagus and celery

nuts

coconut

popcorn

greasy or fried food

seeds and skins of fruits and vegetables

membrane of citrus fruits

Introduce these foods slowly and individually to see if they are tolerated. Always be careful, chew well, and follow your surgeon’s or dietitian’s advice.

Exercise Guidelines
Incorporating regular physical activity into your daily routine is as important as your nutrition plan. Often patients have been sedentary due to decreased activity tolerance, psychological constraints, and in some cases, physical disabilities. After LAP-BAND ® System surgery, aerobic activities—particularly walking and swimming—are generally best tolerated. Consult your surgeon and weight management team to find out which activity is right for you.

Roughly one-third of Americans say they have made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight in the last five years and 42 percent of people who said they smoke regularly in that time frame pledged to quit the habit, according to the Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll.

Thomson Reuters and NPR conduct a monthly poll to gauge attitudes and opinions on a wide range of health issues.

The survey, which asked respondents their opinions and experiences with New Year’s resolutions focused on weight loss and smoking, found that 57 percent of Americans who have made a pledge to lose weight in the last five years were successful. Respondents who made a resolution to lose weight said most often that their goal was between 10 and 29 pounds (48 percent). The second most popular weight loss goal was 30-49 pounds (21 percent).

One in four respondents said they smoked regularly in the last five years. Forty two percent of that group said they resolved to quit smoking over that time and 36 percent said their plan was successful.

Americans are still making resolutions as they look forward to 2012. Fifty one percent of all respondents indicated that they will make a resolution to exercise more in the upcoming New Year. Thirty five percent said they will make a pledge to lose weight and 9% of smokers indicated that they will make a resolution to quit smoking.

“As the country re-evaluates ways to reduce runaway healthcare spending, it is time for all Americans to be resolved to take better care of themselves and others. Data demonstrates that the majority of medical costs can be traced back to poor lifestyle issues such as obesity and tobacco use,” said Raymond Fabius, M.D., chief medical officer at the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters. “While we know it often takes several attempts to lose weight and quit smoking, it is encouraging that many survey participants are taking strides to improve their health in 2012. Let’s celebrate and support those who have resolutions to lose weight, stop smoking, eat better and exercise. If they can meet these New Year goals they will be healthier and wealthier for it as well as helping to solve America’s healthcare crisis!”

The Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll is powered by the Thomson Reuters PULSE(SM) Healthcare Survey, an independently funded, nationally representative telephone poll that collects information about health-related behaviors and attitudes and healthcare utilization from more than 100,000 US households annually. Survey questions are developed in conjunction with NPR. The figures in this month’s poll are based on 3,015 participants interviewed from December 1-13, 2011. The margin of error is 1.8 percent.

Eating Healthy on the Go: Quick Foods Kids Will Love

Hot, home cooked meals … just the thought of hearty food brings back memories of mom’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes or chicken noodle casserole. But many weight-conscious families are frequently on the go and eating meals in a hurry. Unfortunately for many American families, this translates into eating packaged and processed foods and doing the fast food drive-through more often. So how can your family focus on weight loss when you’re on the go?

When meals and snacks are prepared at home, parents can provide nutrient-rich, whole foods and de-emphasize packaged and processed foods high in saturated fat and sodium and low in fiber. But most families today have super-busy schedules. So how can you have the best of both worlds? With a smartly stocked kitchen and some new tips and ideas to try, your family can have healthy and homemade meals and snacks AND eat on the run, too!

Good Nutrition: A Family Affair

Good nutrition is an activity the whole family can be involved in. If your children are helping you cook and shop for a healthy, homemade meal or snack, they are more likely to want to try it and like it. Cooking is also a terrific alternative to television and video games. Some ideas to get your kids involved include:

Kids love to cook, and they start showing an interest around the age of 2. Start them off with tasks like scrubbing vegetables clean with brush and some water, tearing lettuce, snapping the ends off green beans, and dipping foods into dips or sauces. By age 3 they can usually begin pouring and hand mixing, shaking, and spreading. 4-year-olds can try to peel, roll, and mash food, while 5-year-olds can begin to measure, cut with a plastic knife, and grate cheese or vegetables (using a square upright grater with supervision).

Many favorite foods, such as muffins, waffles, pancakes, and biscuits, can be mixed with a spoon or whisk instead of using the electric mixer. This way, even younger children can help.

Have children learn to measure and pour by setting your ingredients and measuring cups on a jelly roll pan. The jelly roll pan catches any flying flour or splashing liquids, which is a breeze to clean compared to your floor and kitchen counter.

A great way to get children interested in eating fruits and vegetables is to let them help you in the produce section. Even little hands can pick out apples, oranges, pears, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, and corn on the cob, avocados, and more.

Take your child to your local farmer’s market so they can celebrate the freshness and flavor of in-season fruits and vegetables.

The top health concerns for today’s youth are the rising rates of obesity and diabetes. Many nutrition experts would argue that this epidemic is fueled, at least in part, by the typical American diet, which relies heavily on processed and fast food. For American teens, the proportion of calories that come from fast food or restaurants tripled between the late 1970s and the late 1990s to a whopping 19.3%, and this number continues to rise.

Want to do your body a world of good? It’s as easy as expanding your grocery list.

Although some guys aren’t opposed to smoking some weed, most wouldn’t think of eating one. It’s a shame, really, since a succulent weed named purslane is not only delicious but also among the world’s healthiest foods.

Of course, there are many superfoods that never see the inside of a shopping cart. Some you’ve never heard of, and others you’ve simply forgotten about. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best of the bunch. Make a place for them on your table and you’ll instantly upgrade your health — without a prescription.

Beets

These grungy-looking roots are naturally sweeter than any other vegetable, which means they pack tons of flavor under-neath their rugged exterior.

Why they’re healthy: Think of beets as red spinach. Just like Popeye’s powerfood, this crimson vegetable is one of the best sources of both folate and betaine. These two nutrients work together to lower your blood levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory compound that can damage your arteries and increase your risk of heart disease. Plus, the natural pigments — called betacyanins — that give beets their color have been proved to be potent cancer fighters in laboratory mice.

How to eat them: Fresh and raw, not from a jar. Heating beets actually decreases their antioxidant power. For a simple single-serving salad, wash and peel one beet, and then grate it on the widest blade of a box grater. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.

You can eat the leaves and stems, which are also packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Simply cut off the stems just below the point where the leaves start, and wash thoroughly. They’re now ready to be used in a salad. Or, for a side dish, sauté the leaves, along with a minced clove of garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil, in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook until the leaves are wilted and the stems are tender. Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Cabbage

Absent from most American kitchens, this cruciferous vegetable is a major player in European and Asian diets.

Why it’s healthy: One cup of chopped cabbage has just 22 calories, and it’s loaded with valuable nutrients. At the top of the list is sulforaphane, a chemical that increases your body’s production of enzymes that disarm cell-damaging free radicals and reduce your risk of cancer. In fact, Stanford University scientists determined that sulforaphane boosts your levels of these cancer-fighting enzymes higher than any other plant chemical.

How to eat it: Put cabbage on your burgers to add a satisfying crunch. Or, for an even better sandwich topping or side salad, try an Asian-style slaw. Here’s what you’ll need.

4 Tbsp peanut or canola oil

Juice of two limes

1 Tbsp sriracha, an Asian chili sauce you can find in the international section of your grocery store

1 head napa cabbage, finely chopped or shredded

1/4 cup toasted peanuts

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Whisk together the oil, lime juice, and sriracha. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving. The slaw will keep in your fridge for 2 days.

Most men do not pay attention to their health as women do. In comparison to women, men are more likely to smoke and drink, make unhealthy or risky choices and put off regular check-ups with their physician.

The good news is that it is never too late to make different choices to support a healthy lifestyle. There are some simple things, all men can do to change and improve their overall health. It can begin with good nutrition, including these suggestions:

— Eat more fruits and vegetables. A 14-year study found that men whose diets were highest in fruits and vegetables had a 70 percent lower risk of digestive-tract cancers. How to reach your quota: Never eat a meal that doesn’t contain a vegetable or fruit. And no, fries don’t count.

— Try to have pasta with tomato sauce in your weekly routine, as two to four servings of tomato sauce can cut prostate cancer risk by 37 percent.

— Eating one serving of fish per week can halve your risk of a sudden fatal heart attack. The secret ingredient in fish is omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is especially high in them.

— Breakfast is also an important component of the daily routine as a survey of more than 2,000 people who lost an average of 67 pounds and kept the weight off for more than 5 years found that 78 percent ate breakfast 7 days a week.

— You’re less likely to make bad eating choices at lunch if you eat properly in the morning, so start the day off with a breakfast of champions. Try a bowl of oatmeal and cup of low fat yogurt, or a poached egg with whole grain toast and fresh fruit.

— Most American men also need more fiber in their diets. Fiber not only has a host of important health benefits but also promotes satiety — the feeling of fullness that can keep you from overeating.

One simple way to increase fiber intake is to power up on bran. Bran from many grains is very rich in dietary fiber. Oat bran is high in soluble fiber, which has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels. Wheat, corn and rice bran are high in insoluble fiber, which helps prevent constipation.

Bran can be sprinkled into your favorite foods—from hot cereal and pancakes to muffins and cookies. Many popular high-fiber cereals and bars are also packed with bran.

— Make wise choices for protein. Several times a week, eat skinless chicken or fish. Choose only lean cuts of beef and pork. You only need six to nine ounces of protein daily in order to meet your daily requirement, states the USDA. One serving is the size of a card deck. If you are body building, this amount is increased by only three to five ounces.

— Lower your intake of saturated and/or trans fats as part of your healthy eating plan. Saturated fats are mainly found in animal products, as well as deep-fried foods, many fast foods, commercially prepared baked goods, boxed cereals, processed meats and processed foods. Trans fats are found in hardened fats such as shortening and partially hydrogenated oils. Avoid, or limit, foods made with these items. Many restaurant-prepared foods contain trans fats, and you will not know this without asking your server.

The Clark County Health Department supports healthy eating and active lifestyles. For more information about support with nutrition or activity options, contact the department at 744-4482. Visit the website at www.clarkhealthdept.org.

Well another year has gone by and here we are again at the holiday that most dieters fear, Thanksgiving. It’s one of those holidays where good food abounds and it’s so easy to over indulge, over eat, over do simply everything! But it doesn’t have to be. You can get through this time without destroying your diet if you just plan ahead a little.

For me, it will start with a run in the morning. I have as I did last year, signed up my younger son and oldest daughter to run with me in the local Gobble Wobble which is a 4.3 mile run around a local lake here near where I live. That’s going to be about 600 calories banked in the morning to offset that piece of pumpkin pie I intend to enjoy later in the day with a good football game!

That’s one way to help not blowing your diet but the other is simply eating smart and not overeating. Years past, I would fill my plate as full as I could as all my favorite dishes made it’s rounds of the table. Since then, I have learned portion control. I still plan to try everything that passes my plate but it will be in much smaller portions so as not to totally blow my girlish figure. You can do this too.

Another tip to avoid over eating is to drink a couple of 8 oz. glasses of water about 10 minutes before the meal. This will help induce an artificial feeling of being fuller before you start which will also make it easier to keep down the portion sizes of all your favorites as they pass by. One last obvious tip is when taking your portion of turkey, make sure you avoid that crispy golden brown skin that you always give in to. Then you can have an extra bite of pie without guilt!

Went to see the doctor for my quarterly update last month and all is going to plan. Due to not being able to run most of August and September, I gained about 7 lbs. Evidently the calories I burn from bike riding don’t work as well for me as running does. My cholesterol numbers are looking better again since adding Crestor back into my regimen. However, the past week or so I’ve been noticing the muscle pain again and I’m going to adjust down to 5 mg from 10 mg again to see if it helps.

My total number dropped back to about 140 from 190 with the meds but if I hurt all the time, it doesn’t do me any good for the running. I’m hoping to find a median between my cholesterol numbers and the muscle pain somewhere. HDL was 56 so still looking good and LDL not bad either. My diabetes is still being well controlled with diet and exercise so hopefully that trend continues as well for many years to come. I was also diagnosed with low T back in March and the treatments for that are working well too. My mind is back on track and feeling sharp again and the wife’s not complaining either.

Till next time! Let me know how you are doing with your own weight loss journey and what successes you may be having.

At Central Baptist Hospital Surgical Weight Loss Center we know how difficult it can be to stay on track with your weight loss goals. It’s easier when you’re not alone! Join us for one of our Support Group meetings today.

When you are more than twice your ideal body weight or have a body mass index that exceeds 30 kg/m2 then you are considered morbidly obese. In the United States 65% of people are overweight and morbid obesity is now considered a fast-growing problem. And the sad reality is that obesity is fast affecting the younger population. Dependence on fast food, increasing soda consumption, a lack of physical activity and skyrocketing stress levels are all contributing factors to the development of obesity that with the kind of lifestyles we are leading today, it would only be a matter of time before more and more Americans will grow to be unhealthily fat.

The good news is: Morbid obesity is preventable. Healthy eating practices, regular exercises and stress reduction are all key components towards weight control. Without the discipline to choose healthier alternatives, it can be admittedly difficult to maintain a healthy weight. But the following situations that accompany morbid obesity should be enough to warn you to smarted up and take the necessary steps to curb your weight before you become morbidly obese:

3. Dietary, behavior modification and exercise has been shown to have limited success in the treatment of obesity.

4. Pharmacologic management of obesity such as the administration of sibutramine HCl and orlistat that are given only by a licensed healthcare provider poses a lot of undesirable side effects such as headache, palpitations, oily discharge, decreased vitamin absorption and even high blood pressure. Moreover, their long-term efficacy and other health risks haven’t been fully established and even with religious administration, these medications rarely reduce the total body weight by more than 10%, according to some studies.

5. After all nonsurgical interventions will have been implemented without success, the only treatment left for morbid obesity is surgical management. Bariatric surgery procedures work either by restricting a person’s ability to eat or interfering with ingested nutrient absorption or both. While approximately 60% of a person’s total body weight is lost after surgery, bariatric surgical procedures do carry their own risk like any abdominal operation. Bleeding, blood clots, bowel obstruction, infection as well as long-term nutritional deficiencies are just some of the complications associated with surgical interventions to manage obesity. Without proper management, it is also still possible for a person who has undergone bariatric surgery to gain back all the weight lost from it.

It then becomes easy to understand that where obesity is concerned, prevention is better than cure. It is much easier to exercise and eat healthy rather than go through all the surgical procedures later on. Drugs and surgeries might do a significant share in reducing weight, but these produce side effects and risks that could have been avoided with wiser lifestyle choices and obesity prevention.

Losing weight is not rocket science. It requires no special diet, no special foods and no special exercise program. All we need to do is eat less calories than we burn. Despite this, as well as an ever growing number of diets and weight control plans, obesity continues to grow. And the vast majority of dieters find it almost impossible to lose weight without regaining everything within a matter of months. Why is this? Answer: because we don’t get enough support.

Get Proper Help To Lose Weight

Our greatest need when dieting is encouragement. We need people to cheer our successes and help us overcome our disasters. Amazingly, most online weight loss programs fail to address this need. Instead, they focus on what we should eat, how many calories we should consume, and what exercise we should take. And while this advice is useful, it’s not critical. Because most of us know this stuff already. What we have difficulty with, is motivation. We know what to do in order to lose weight, but we can’t sustain it. Maybe we lack a strong incentive, or perhaps our family situation interferes with our weight loss plans, or maybe we hate cooking and eat out too often. Whatever difficulty we have, it’s not likely to involve food or exercise. It’s much more likely to be a motivational or lifestyle problem. Yet as I say, most online programs don’t offer motivational or lifestyle support. And even when they do, their advice can often be expensive and quite uninspiring!

Survey Of Dieters

The value of proper support was highlighted in a recent survey of members of Anne Collins online weight loss program. The program includes a 24/7 community forum specializing in motivation and lifestyle support, with several thousand topics and approximately 100,000 posts. Subjects were asked to assess the personal benefit they had obtained from the forum. A total of 1,348 subjects responded, of whom 81 percent rated the program’s community forum as “important” or “very important” in helping them to lose weight, while less than 5 percent said it “made no difference.” While in no way conclusive, the results indicate the practical value of a “community” approach to weight management.

Weight Loss Meetings

For urban dieters, Weight Watchers is probably the best option. Their meetings are specially designed to help dieters overcome difficulties, but even Weight Watchers has its limitations. First, it’s not cheap to join. Secondly, members typically attend only once a week. So if your diet-wagon loses a wheel on Saturday night, you may have to wait several days for the next meeting to help you out. Like eDiets, Weight Watchers now offers an online service, but again – at something like $250-300 a year – it’s not cheap.

Not Easy To Change Habits

Changing our eating habits is no easy matter. Sure, it helps to know that a cup of fat-free milk contains 40 percent fewer calories and 16 times less fat than whole milk, or that lean ground steak contains half the calories and 4 times less fat than regular cheddar cheese, but how does this help us to say No to a second helping of pizza? How does it quench our desire for a double cheeseburger and fries? It doesn’t. Because facing down temptation requires a change of attitude, a change of priorities. And in my experience, this takes time and as much encouragement as we can get. We need to hear from people like us who have managed to change their attitude and eating habits, and who can explain how to overcome the problems involved. Above all, we need a safety-net if we fail. We need shoulders to cry on and “tough love” to help us win through. In short, we need the support of a real community.

Join An Online Community Forum

In my experience, dieters who join a good online community forum can expect to lose 400-500 percent more weight than those who go solo. In addition, if they maintain their community membership after achieving their goals, they have an excellent chance of maintaining their weight loss indefinitely. This is because an online community can provide a number of specific benefits. First, as stated, it offers personal advice and encouragement. Secondly, it offers members the opportunity to help other people – something that typically works wonders for their self-esteem and understanding. Thirdly, most community forums are self-run. Members may progress to become moderators or resident experts. This too is a real confidence booster as well as a great incentive to maintain weight lost. But by far the major benefit is the fact that online forums are in action 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So support and human warmth is available whenever you need it. They are real 24/7 safety nets, especially Anne Collins forum which has members from all time zones of the world.

Features To Look For

The best forums are active, well-managed and provide quality advice and support. Activity is best judged by checking the number of “active” members, rather than total membership. And the greater the number of recent threads (topics) and posts (messages), the better. Assessing the management and quality of the forum is a bit more difficult. To do this, open a recent thread, scan the posts and look for the following. First, how quickly do members and/or moderators reply to questions asked? Second, are the questions and answers reasonably serious, or more frivolous? Generally, a well-managed forum will have a higher percentage of serious posts. Other questions to ask yourself include: how “personal” does the forum appear to be? Do you feel a sense of warmth and caring? What age-groups are most active? Take a good look around, and don’t hurry. Finding the right forum for yourself is crucial to your weight loss success.

Summary: Focus On What Matters

The secret of successful weight loss is to focus on what matters. So don’t waste too much time or money trying to find the “perfect” diet. I mean no disrespect to any dietitian or nutritionist but, for most people, a diet is a diet is a diet. As long as it’s reasonably balanced and includes a reasonable number of calories, it’ll do fine. What really matters is support – to help you cope with temptation and disruption during your journey. An excellent option is to join an online weight loss forum and be part of a real community. Because when you have tons of friendly people cheering you on, you can move mountains.

Anne Collins, 54, is a qualified nutritionist and full time weight management consultant with over 24 years experience. Her clients range from top celebrities to ordinary men and women of every age and shape. [Weight Loss Help] (link: http://www.annecollins.com)

Begin your bariatric surgery journey today. We at Central Baptist Hospital’s Surgical Weight Loss Center are very excited that you have chosen to reinvent yourself with us. Call us to begin your new life today.

Knee pain related to osteoarthritis (OA) is a common complaint among obese individuals and retired professional athletes, especially former NFL players, but researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Specialty Day program said they have a simple solution: lose weight.

“Our research on patients who were obese with early-onset knee osteoarthritis showed that those individuals who underwent isolated weight loss via bariatric surgery and lost an average of 57 pounds within the first six months significantly improved their knee pain, stiffness and physical function. Quality of life, activities of daily living and sports activity also improved; all of this without other arthritic treatments,” said lead researcher Christopher Edwards of the Penn State College of Medicine.

OA of the knee is one of the five leading causes of disability among elderly men and women in the U.S., and costs $185 billion in out-of-pocket expenditures each year. Obesity is one of the leading risk factors for the disease.

The study followed 24 adult patients who ranged in age from 30-67 and were diagnosed as obese with clinical and radiographic evidence of knee OA. The Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) Index of Osteoarthritis and Knee and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) surveys were administered at a pre-bariatric surgery baseline and at six and 12 months post surgery.

“Each individual had some kind of improvement in their pain from losing weight, some more than others. There are few studies that have investigated the role of isolated weight loss in the absence of additional arthritis treatment on those individuals with radiographically confirmed OA. Further research still needs to be performed to investigate whether knee arthritis symptom improvement continues over time and are applicable to those individuals who are simply overweight, but our research suggests a strong possibility of improvement,” said Edwards.

Sleep apnea causes disrupted breathing in the middle of the night for more than 12 million Americans. Fatigue, high blood pressure and weight gain are some of its more familiar symptoms.

But a growing body of research has also found that sleep apnea can be a drain on intimacy, causing erectile dysfunction in men and loss of libido in women.

Scientists suspect this may have to do with sex hormones like testosterone, which rise with sleep and fall when there is a lack of it. Because it causes intermittent waking and chronic sleep deprivation, apnea may directly drive down levels of these hormones, causing sexual dysfunction.

In a study in 2009, researchers looked for signs of sexual problems in 401 men who showed up at a clinic for suspected sleep apnea. Of those who received the diagnosis, about 70 percent also had erectile dysfunction, compared with 34 percent in those without sleep apnea.